FS: Vintage Gibson Mandolin A Style

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BlackBearUkes

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This is not a uke, but a very old Gibson Mandolin I am offering for sale. When it came to me, it was in dire straights and at best could be a wall hanger if left alone. The finish was ruined and the fingerboard was flaking apart and brittle because of the age of the ebony, the frets were uneven, the back was coming off and the top had one small tight crack about 2 inches long next to the tailpiece. The bone nut was missing.

This Mandolin is an "A" style and has a serial number of 12458, which dates it at 1911, which makes it 107 years old. They are used by blue grass, Celtic and folk musicians all over the world and are quite lovely sounding to hear. This mandolin is no exception, it rings clear and loud and is ready to be played for another 100 years.

I completely rebuilt and refinished this mandolin and tried to retain the original look. I replace the entire ebony finger board and used modern mando frets. I repaired the top crack and added 2 small wooden cleats on the inside. I re-glued the back to the sides. I stripped the ruined original shellac finish off, and used nitrocellulose lacquer for the new finish, taking care to match the original mahogany color on the back and sides. It has a new bone nut and a new adjustable ebony compensated bridge. The original static bridge comes with this instrument. The original pick guard was missing so none is offered. The tuning machines are original and are in great shape and work fine. The tailpiece is original and also works great. It comes with an older soft shell case in fine condition.

Your complete satisfaction is guaranteed. $35 shipping in the USA lower 48 states. Sorry, no sales outside the USA. Payment by money order, personal check or bank draft only, no Paypal. Email me at duane at blackbearukuleles dot net if you need more information. Thanks for looking.

$850
 

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More photos

Here are a couple more photos
 

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This is a very good deal. I wish I still played the mandolin.
Good luck with your sale, though you may want to advertise on the mandolin cafe also in order to increase exposure.
 
WOW, you have done a GREAT job of restoration, if I played the mandolin I would certainly buy this one. Classic, thanks for sharing
 
Wow!
Nice work !! I've seen several of these early Gibsons in GCEA uke tuning, and seen a few restrung from metal to nylon strings.
BTW - My nephew loves the little soprano uke you made, that I got here off UU marketplace a while back - to gift to him. :)Nov 5 Soren Cade.jpg
 
Great looking restoration. Good luck with the sale. Have a happy, healthy, and prosperous New to all!
 
Thanks for the response ED. I don't think these Gibson mandolins would be suitable to be strung like a uke with nylon strings. The nut width is 1 3/16" and with eight strings the spacing would make playing it impossible. Plus the top thickness of these instruments to too thick to get kind of quality sound with nylon strings. They are very nice mandolins however.

Wow!
Nice work !! I've seen several of these early Gibsons in GCEA uke tuning, and seen a few restrung from metal to nylon strings.
BTW - My nephew loves the little soprano uke you made, that I got here off UU marketplace a while back - to gift to him. :)View attachment 105709
 
One more time at the top and then it goes to the mando cafe. This is a very sweet mando!
 
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